Messi has said he is looking to surpass Cesar Rodriguez’s scoring record for Barcelona, and while Villa played down individual feats, he noted that the diminutive forward is in a league of his own. “Messi does incredible things,” Villa told reporters. “His stats make you cover your eyes. He cannot be compared to anyone. We are delighted.” The 29-year-old Villa, who has scored five goals in all competitions this season, stressed he is happy with life at Camp Nou. “Being at this club is a symptom of happiness,” Villa said. “I am very happy both on and off the field and I hope to stay here for many more years.” “I am not used to being a substitute, but in the dressing room there are 15 or 16 players who are not used to it either.”

Meanwhile, Arsene Wenger has highlighted similarities between Robin van Persie and Barcelona star Lionel Messi, following the former’s latest brace for Arsenal.

“I see similarities, positional-wise, with Messi,” said Wenger. “He likes to come deep and he likes to turn up, up front. Don’t make me make a comparison with Messi but it is just that positional-wise he is not really like the real centre forward.

On defeat in the showpiece Wembley final Rooney said: ‘It hurt. I watched the game again because you can always learn by watching football. It was very disappointing but you have to put your hands up and say they were the better team.
‘They are the best team I’ve seen and Lionel Messi the best player. I think he got three nutmegs in the first-half. On my PlayStation I can make him do what I want but he’s even better in real life. The speed he moves his legs, in fact his whole body, is amazing.

Asked if Messi could dictate games in the England as he does in Spain, Rooney said: ‘If you bring Xavi and Iniesta with him, yes. But it would be difficult, almost impossible for him to play as he does in Spain. ‘The game is more physical here, going to the likes of Birmingham and Stoke away is very demanding. Cristiano Ronaldo is more suited to the English game than Messi. Cristiano is taller and good in the air.’ Messi wins them games but Xavi and Andres Inesta destroy you. They are simply a fantastic team, a very special side. That’s the level we want to be at and we have to up our game to achieve this. The manager will be doing what he can to see we do this.’

He told The Sun: “Lionel is the best player I’ve ever seen, probably the best ever. He made the difference. “Messi is unique, a one-off. I just hope he doesn’t get fed up. When he doesn’t play well it is because something is wrong with his environment. Let’s hope he can continue playing well.”

The 40-year old also dismissed speculation that the victory over Sir Alex Ferguson’s side was to be his last as Barca manager, though he did admit that the job was often difficult. He said: “If you play this football you need these players. At another club maybe I would have a problem to find these kind of players. I feel privileged to have these players. Everyone has worked towards this. We are very happy. “I will say it again, I have another year on my contract and I intend to work it out. “You have girls falling at your feet when you win but that can change overnight but I have to look inside of me. I am happy to be here as coach of these guys but it is not an easy job.”

Meanwhile Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson labelled Barcelona “the best team I have faced” after his side’s 3-1 defeat in the Champions League final. “Nobody’s given us a hiding like that but they deserve it,” Ferguson said. “They play the right way and they enjoy their football. They do mesmerise you with their passing and we never really did control Messi. But many people have said that. “In my time as manager, it’s the best team I’ve faced.”

After the match, Mourinho complained about the referee’s decision to send Pepe off in the early minutes of the second half for his challenge on Daniel Alves and claimed that it was a “scandal” at the Bernabeu. The father of Lionel Messi, Jorge, has now given his take on the matter and says that Mourinho was wrong to vent in the manner he did after the clash.

“It was bad, very bad,” said Jorge Messi, according to Goal.com Spain. “I can understand that the game was heated. “I cannot tell if it was right to show him [Pepe] the red card or not but I agree that it was the turning point. But until then, Madrid played badly. “Mourinho’s approach was very conservative,” he added.

Jorge was delighted to watch his son Lionel score both the goals, the second one of the finest strikes in a Clasico. “I told him [Lionel] that they would win 2-0 and that he would score both the goals,” enthused Jorge, who then jokingly added: “Paul the Octopus is useless, you have to listen to me.”

Messi’s national team coach Batista was at the game last night and was left mesmerised with what he saw.

“We saw the Messi we all know and love,” said Batista, according to Reuters. “He’s on his way to becoming the best player in history. Given what we already know and because he surpasses himself day by day, he’s already the best in the world. I left the stadium telling myself, ‘Thank God players like Xavi and Messi exist’. They give you goose bumps, they thrill anyone.”

“I don’t think we feel under pressure at this stage,” he said. “I don’t know what result would be good. We want to play a good match and win. The return leg depends on tomorrow’s game but the important thing is to win. We never think of drawing matches because we always play to win. The fans are always there for us, especially in the Champions League, so I know they won’t fail. I am not worried about not scoring recently. I hope I can score tomorrow to help the team and carry on scoring, but it isn’t something that worries me. If I can score, fine. If not, it’s OK. I’m not worried, but it would be a great record to have if I could overtake Ronaldo”.

Convinced that the attacking verve instilled by Josep Guardiola ensures Barça are “well liked everywhere” and equally well set to face Shakhtar, Messi is nevertheless not taking victory for granted. The Azulgrana were, after all, beaten 3-2 at home by Mircea Lucescu’s team in the 2008/09 group stage and were five minutes from being taken to penalties by them in the 2009 UEFA Super Cup before Pedro Rodríguez struck.

“They play good football, they have great players and we have faced them several times,” Messi added. “It’ll be a very even match as usual against Shakhtar. I hope we can gain an advantage to feel more relaxed over there [in the second leg]. I know they are strong; they produce good performances like in the Super Cup. “We know it’ll be difficult. They have very good players, lots of Brazilian players who play good football. It’s a team that has a nice style. We know how to attack and we don’t have a strategy. We know them, but we can’t let them play.”

Argentina’s newly appointed coach Sergio Batista said on Friday he wants his lethal goal-scorer to expand on his traditional role as a specialist striker and get even more involved in the game. “What we want from him is to create (in) more games and not be just a striker,” Batista, speaking through a translator, told a news conference. “Out of 90 minutes, he will keep the ball the most that he can.”

Batista said his plans for Messi to become more involved were part of his overall strategy to help Argentina win this year’s Copa America and the next World Cup, in neighbouring Brazil in 2014, but he wants him to start roaming the field immediately. That could be bad news for the United States team that plays Argentina in a friendly on Saturday at the new Meadowlands Stadium but good news for the tens of thousands of fans who have snapped up tickets in the hope of seeing Messi produce something magical.

“He’s a joy to watch but not much fun to play against,” U.S. captain Landon Donovan said. “But this isn’t a game where we’re showing up with the other 65,000 people to watch Messi play. We want to win as well.” Donovan conceded there was no sure way his team could stop Messi, whose amazing goal-scoring feats for Barcelona and Argentina have earned him the tag as the world’s best player. “It makes it challenging but we enjoy that,” Donovan said. “The reality is there is no defender on our team, there’s likely no defender in the world, who can defend him one-on-one. We have to make sure that collectively we’re making it difficult for him.”

U.S. head coach Bob Bradley agreed there was no real way of containing Messi but he believed the match against Argentina was an important learning experience for his own team as they start preparing for this year’s CONCACAF Gold Cup. The Americans are also scheduled to host world champions Spain in Foxborough, Massachusetts on June 4. “We all know that this is just a special, special player,” Bradley said of Messi. “But I think we’ve benefited greatly in the last four years from playing against top teams. “Any time those teams come here, it makes it extra special because soccer fans in the U.S. love to see the top players and they appreciate it when we test ourselves against these sorts of teams.”

Even by Messi’s own standards this season is becoming something special as he has now scored 45 goals in 39 games. He has eight from eight matches in the Champions League while domestically he has notched up 27 from 23 games. The two goals against Arsenal mean that Messi is now top goal scorer in the history of Barcelona in European competitions aged just 23. He has 33 goals, beating the previous record by Rivaldo of 31, and Luis Enrique, a talisman for the side in the late 1990s only had 27.

Meanwhile Messi has remained remarkably modest about his achievements and has been helped to keep his feet on the ground since his arrival at 13 by the ethos of the club to nurture the youth players into the first team. Guardiola is the first to praise him but also emphasises the work of the players around him. “Messi had another great game but the whole team did really well and we created a lot of goal scoring chances,” said Guardiola, in the press conference after the Arsenal match. “All the headlines will be about the goals from Messi and Xavi but in midfield we were very strong with (Javier) Mascherano and (Sergio) Busquets. We tried to improve from the first leg and we managed to press Arsenal back during the whole game. The only way to improve is to look in the mirror and see what you did wrong and look to correct it. That’s what we did.”

Messi’s teammates were quick to praise him however. “Once again Leo has made the difference as he always does,” said Xavi. “We see it every week but it is still extraordinary what he is capable of.”

He said: “Nothing surprises me about Leo. He can repeat what he did last year or he could do even better. Nobody can put a limit on the levels he can reach.”

The Argentine has also stated that Barcelona won’t change their much-lauded style of play ahead of the clash, despite knowing that a 1-0 win would see them progress on away goals. He said: “A 1-0 win would serve our purposes but if there is one thing that you can guarantee about this team it is that it is never satisfied. We will go out and try to win the game by the biggest margin possible. This match will go a long way to marking our season. We have to treat the game as a final. Regardless of whether it is the most important game of the season or not, you can always guarantee we will play it exactly the same way – if we have to go down, then we will go down playing the Barcelona way. They are not stupid. They have an advantage and will try to protect that lead. We can’t make the mistake of thinking, because they know how to play attacking football, that they don’t know how to defend.”

Mascherano also spoke of the threat that Cesc Fabregas presented his side, adding: “When Cesc is not there, you really notice it. We can’t afford to have him comfortable in the game. Hopefully the players who are comfortable on the pitch will be Xavi and Iniesta.”

“Carlos is a really important player for this club, you can say that. “But I don’t think you can compare him with Messi though, because Messi an amazing player. “Carlos is amazing too, he has lots of quality and scores really important goals for us. “He’s one of the best I’ve played alongside. He’s a fantastic player for City. “His record is fantastic. He’s typical of a top striker, he works so hard and every day he wants to improve. “For this club, for the fans here, he’s a very big player. “But Messi is fantastic because he can beat two or three players at any moment. Even when he’s quiet he’s still dangerous.”

There are not many people that would disagree, except perhaps Tevez! But Yaya does believe that Man City will slowly improve and will become as good as Barcelona in a couple of years.

“At the moment you can’t compare Barcelona with City because Barca are at the top and have top quality players,” said Toure, who played at the Nou Camp for three years. “Lionel Messi, Xavi, Andres Iniesta and Dani Alves, they’re all fantastic. “But City are still signing new players. In a couple of years we could maybe be better than Barcelona. “What we need to continue to do is work hard and try to continue to improve with every game. “I keep saying to my brother and my family that City have great players but we need to continue to work hard to become a great team.”

Messi told Sport.es: “I think that in the end Cesc will do what he feels like doing, the same with Barcelona,” “I am certain he wants to come to Barcelona because he has realised this is the only club where he can win.”

Meanwhile, Arsenals centre back Johan Djourou has described playing against Lionel Messi as ‘amazing.’ The Arsenal team did a very good job of keeping him and the rest of the Barcelona team quiet.

Johan said: “I think we made it hard for Messi.” “It’s not like he was always clear, one-on-one with the keeper.” “He always had somebody next to him, someone tackling him, and it’s always difficult when you have someone under pressure.” “It was amazing to play against him. For a defender to test your skill against the best, to play against the kind of player that can make the difference, it was amazing.” “Barcelona always try to find solutions on the pitch so it is down to you to make it as hard as possible for them. I think we did that well.”

“The group is important but this group also knows that Messi is very important. Without Messi we would also win games, we’d be good, but not as solid as we are now. Without Messi, this team wouldn’t be what it is. Because of him we can win so easily. All the great teams in history had a player who’s different and ours is Messi.”

These words were echoed by his Barcelona teammates such as Iniesta, who stated that “Messi is out of this world, we can only hope he continues like this. Whislt Pedro added “There are no words left to describe Messi.” The rival coach also had no option to surrender to the Argentine. “Messi is the best player I’ve seen, the Di Stefano of the 21st century,” said Flores.

Barca’s all-time appearance record-holder had been tipped to collect the award, but in an interview with magazine DiR Emotions, the 31-year-old confessed: “I am happy to have been among the trio of candidates for the Ballon d’Or. “Leo is above both Andres and me. He is the best in the world and arguably one of the top five in the history of football.” Xavi also conceded that he is fortunate to earn a living playing football, adding: “I know 100 per cent that I am privileged. “I get paid a fortune for doing what I like, something that 80% of the population cannot say, and I am a Cule until death. What else can I ask? I see Barcelona as a family business. I want to do well, always.”

The Ballon d’Or finalist discussed the abilities of his colleague among other issues in an interview with Onda Cero, and had nothing but praise for the Argentine attacker. He commented: “The Ballon d’Or was the feast of Barcelona. A sense of justice in football has been gathered in that Messi will be the best player ever, and to be in the final with him gave myself and Andres [Iniesta] tremendous personal satisfaction. However, I think that these awards are unfair because football is a team sport.”

“He’s indisputably the best player in the world, and he’s going to win the Ballon d’Or several more times. But in World Cup years the tournament is a big factor, and Andres (Iniesta) and I won it, while La Albiceleste didn’t hit the heights expected of them.”

Xavi continued about Messi: “A player like him only comes around once every 50 years. “The only reason the rest of us have any chance of winning this year is because the World Cup didn’t turn out too well for Argentina, because if it had, then it (the Ballon d’Or) would be no contest.

“In my view, Leo is now even better than Maradona was. He’s going to be at the very top for many years to come, there’s nobody like him. “He loves taking responsibility, he never hides away. And I’ve known him since he was a kid, I’ve watched him develop and I can say that he’s tremendously professional and has good people around him. He’s got all the ingredients for success.”

Meanwhile, FC Copenhagen will attempt to thwart Barcelona’s Lionel Messi in Tuesday’s Champions League Group D clash by trying to prevent him operating between their midfield and defence, according to coach Stale Solbakken.

“Cleverer coaches than me and better players than mine have tried and been unsuccessful at stopping Messi but with a great team effort we have a chance,” Solbakken told a news conference on Monday. Messi was a key player (in the match in Barcelona) and it will be extremely important to stop him from roaming in the area between our midfield and defence. If we can push him out towards the sidelines we will have a better chance of preventing him creating chances.”

Messi is considered one of the best footballers on the planet having won numerous personal accolades including the Ballon d’Or in 2009. The Argentina international has also played a key role in helping Barca lift four Spanish titles and the UEFA Champions League on two occasions.

Moratti is keen for Inter to add a world-class player to their squad, and has hinted the club may target Messi. He told La Gazzetta dello Sport: “(Lionel) Messi? Everyone asks me to buy a strong player. He is the strongest of all. So I’m starting to ask me the question.

“And I still have not answered neither ‘yes’ nor ‘no’. On Sunday, I jokingly said that I would bring Messi to Inter. “But we could only really talk about it with Barcelona. Let’s see what happens in the coming days.” However, Moratti ruled out an approach for Real Madrid’s Kaka, who moved to Spain from Inter’s rivals AC Milan.

He added: “Kaka is a Real Madrid player and we were never interested in him.”

The wide attacker has no doubt that the dynamic Argentine is unequalled in world football in terms of ability, and he told a press conference this afternoon: “He is the best player in the world, and he has no comparison with any other player. Lionel Messi is irreplaceable, but we have won games when he hasn’t been playing.

“He works hard every day and it shows on the field. He always wants to further himself and play here for a long time.” Pedro also commented on the defensive tactics that teams have employed against the Blaugrana this season, particularly in the wake of their 1-1 draw in the Champions League against Rubin Kazan. He remarked: “Opposing teams defend against us a lot, but we are creating chances. We had many in Kazan, and we have to improve our aim for the games to come, but we are working well. We can improve our performance in front of goal, but we are calm about the situation.”

The 23-year-old Messi was bestowed with the honour after scoring 34 league goals in the 2009-10 campaign. Barca president Sandro Rosell already announced that the club will never let him leave and now Messi himself has said that he wants to stay with Catalan outfit for the rest of his playing career.

“This is what I always say: Barcelona is my home and I hope that I stay here for many years,” said the Argentina international, according to Spanish sports daily Marca.

Messi plays guitarist Noel Gallagher in the group, who are set to embark on a secret European tour. He has apparently recruited a Barcelona team mate to play Liam Gallagher, but has refused to reveal their identity.

“Our disguise is based on how Oasis looked in the mid-90s,” he told The Sun. “We have our wigs, clothes and glasses sorted. I also spent a lot of time getting the mannerisms right.” Messi has become an Oasis convert ever since Argentina team mate Carlos Tevez introduced him to the band before this summer’s World Cup. He recently described the Manchester group’s music as the best “I have ever heard”.

Believe these reports at your own risk.

However, in the reality of the footballing world, Adam Johnson thinks he can be England’s answer to Lionel Messi.

The Manchester City winger was named in Fabio Capello’s preliminary World Cup squad for South Africa before being axed ­before the tournament.

Despite that disappointment, the 23-year-old said: “If you look at Arjen Robben and Lionel Messi, they are playing on the right even though they are left-footed. I will play on the left or the right. “There are not many players who go past people properly. There are a lot of players who play on the wing who just go up and down and work hard.”

Discuss this at our forum here!

Argentina star Messi has helped Barcelona to a series of honours on the domestic and European front in recent years and Robben believes Cole has the same sort of ability on the ball. The Bayern Munich and Dutch star spent three years with Cole at Chelsea and reckons that the Premier League champions could live to regret their decision to let the England midfielder leave to join one of their main rivals.

Robben told Liverpoolfc.co.uk: “I read Gerrard’s words about Joe being as good as Messi on the ball and I couldn’t agree more. After training with him for so long I can tell you some of the things he can do with a football are as good as anything I have ever seen.

“If Joe is now played in a more central position he will score and create a lot of goals, I see him as a real runner for Player of the Season. He is not just about tricks, though – his vision is fantastic. The chances he will create for Torres will help Liverpool to have a trophy-winning season. I think it was a big mistake of Chelsea’s letting Joe go, and I am sure the fans feel the same way. At 28, even with his injuries, Joe must still be a £15 million-pound player in the current market.”

There are often many comparisons to Messi when attempting to describe the qualities of certain players, but surely this one is wide of the mark.

Discuss this at our forum here!

“Sneijder for me is the best player in the world over the last 12 months,” he told the Daily Star Sunday. “Messi is clearly a fantastic talent but it’s almost too easy to say he is the best now.” He claimed.

Meanwhile Martin Palermo has hyped Wednesday’s soccer exhibition that will feature his compatriot, Lionel Messi. The forward, who scored for Argentina against Greece in the World Cup, said he was happy to be in Panama to be part of the exhibition, which will take place at Rommel Fernández Stadium.

Panamanians Jaime Panedo and Gabriel Gavilán Gómez will play for the team of Lionel Messi. The other two Panamanians who will participate are Blas Pérez and Nelson Barahona, who will play for the other side.

The arrival date of Messi, who is on vacation in Brazil after Argentina’s defeat in the World Cup, has not yet been announced.

Messi had a disappointing World Cup as Argentina were knocked out of the tournament by Germany in the quarterfinals. In contrast, both Sneijder and Xavi have played crucial roles as Holland and Spain reached Sunday’s World Cup final.

“Sneijder is one of the best players, yes, but to decide on who is the best, it’s difficult,” said Puyol. “He is an important player, all the attacks pass through him, he scores goals and provides crucial passes, so you always have to watch him.

“As far as the Ballon d’Or is concerned, both Sneijder and Xavi have been good all year and they would deserve it. But, for me, Leo Messi is the favourite.”

Reports suggest that David Villa, Mesut Oezil, Lionel Messi & Wesley Sneijder Lead the World Cup Golden Ball Nominations, with Mesut Oezil and Wesley Sneijder amongst the favourites to lift the trophy.

Tell us your thoughts about Leo’s performances at the world cup by participating in our poll

“Messi showed what a fine player he is, but for an individual to shine more then that has to go hand in hand with collective success,” Del Bosque told a press conference ahead of Wednesday’s semi-final with the Germans in Durban.

“He was one of the players of the tournament though he remained a little hidden by the situation of his team.”

Messi, who also earned praise from Spanish midfielder and Barcelona teammate Andres Iniesta, often was forced too deep against the Germans and found himself running into a brick wall once he entered the danger zone while Argentina, despite their individual qualities, failed in the quarter-final properly to gel as a team.

“I always thought Leo did well. It’s hard for a player as good as he is to play badly,” said Iniesta. “I thought he did well – he didn’t have the luck to score but he was always at the hub of Argentine play.

“I am not his coach and I don’t know what he asked of him – I only know that it’s always a delight to watch him play,” Iniesta concluded.